Damein.
My gaze remained fixed on Maria the exact moment the word slipped past my lips.
Mate.
The single syllable seemed to hang in the air between us, thick and suffocating, as though even the world itself had paused to acknowledge it. It echoed relentlessly in my mind, heavy, undeniable, impossible to take back no matter how much I might have wanted to in that instant.
Maria went completely still.
It wasn't just a pause, it was as if time had wrapped itself around her, freezing her in place. For a brief second, her eyes widened, the raw surge of emotion flickering across her face faster than she could hide it. Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Each one surfaced, collided, and tangled together, leaving her exposed in a way she clearly hadn't expected.
Then, slowly, like someone forcing themselves to move through an invisible weight, she stepped forward.
"Damien… I don't know what you're talking about," she said.
